Sciatica refers to a painful condition of the sciatic nerve.
There are several possible causes of sciatica.
Sciatica refers to a painful condition of the sciatic nerve, a tissue that connects the lower back to the hips, buttocks, and legs. A sciatic nerve pain that radiates from the lower back to the hips, buttocks, and legs (usually on one side only) is known as sciatica. Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is constricted due to spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine), a herniated disc, or a bone spur. It may include numbness, tingling, and/or weakness in the affected leg. There are several possible causes of sciatica, including spinal stenosis, a herniated disc, or a bone spur. The pain may be severe, persistent, or both, and it may be accompanied by numbness, tingling, or weakness in the affected leg.
If you have sciatica, you know the pain associated with this common condition. The sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in your body, is pinched by part of your spinal structure: bone, intervertebral disc material, or soft tissue.
Common causes of sciatica
Sciatica can affect your quality of life and the way you live.
The sciatic nerve can be inflamed, irritated, pinched, or compressed for a variety of reasons, including:
AGE AND LIFESTYLE
As you get older, your spine starts to look worn and damaged, causing bones, discs, and ligaments to shift.
OBESITY AND A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE CAN ALSO LEAD TO SCIATICA.
The more you weigh, the greater the risk of nerve compression. Too little activity damages your muscles and ligaments, which may cause sciatic pain.
INJURY AND STRESS
Lower back injuries can lead to sciatic nerve problems. Strenuous activities that strain the lower back can also lead to sciatica.
HEALTH CONDITIONS
Nerve damage associated with conditions such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis can lead to sciatica.
Treatment of Sciatica
Treatment for sciatica depends on the cause and severity of the condition, but people can usually get relief from sciatica with conservative treatment. Your treatment plan may include a combination of the following:
Physical therapy
Physiotherapy can help improve your posture and mobility and strengthen your back and leg muscles. Mild cases of sciatica can be treated with physical therapy.
Medication
Anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, tricyclic antidepressants, and anticonvulsants may be prescribed when over-the-counter pain relievers are not enough to relieve pain. Epidural injections can also be used to reduce nerve inflammation.
In severe cases, surgery may be required.
Sciatica can be an occasional irritant or a longtime source of pain, but in either case, it can be managed and treated.
SAN DIEGO NEUROPATHY for Sciatica treatment
How to tell if your pain is sciatic or not?
Sciatica is not an actual diagnosis. Instead, it’s a term used to describe pain that travels along the sciatic nerve. This pain is the result of irritation of the sciatic nerve in the lower back and can be debilitating. A person can walk and suddenly freeze in pain because sciatica can appear with very little warning. The pain may come in bursts instead of being constant.
Do not run self-diagnosis
It is important not to self-diagnose sciatica, as the condition could be serious. Sciatic nerve pain can be caused by a spinal tumor, cauda equina syndrome, or a spinal infection. If any of these conditions exist and persist, the consequences can be very serious.
Symptoms of sciatica:
- Shooting pain in the lower back
- Difficulty in standing up
- Difficulty in moving the leg
- Muscle weakness or numbness
- Pain in the hips
- Pain is relieved when sitting or lying down.
Sciatica can affect your quality of life and the way you live.
In some cases, sciatica is so severe that it prevents you from doing daily activities such as walking or climbing stairs. There are many ways to treat sciatic nerve pain. Non-surgical spinal decompression is a medical procedure and therapeutic method whose aim is to relieve the pressure occurring in any region of the spine: cervical, lumbar, thoracic, and sacral. In the early times, traction, or the employment of spinal decompression technique, has been found to deliver results among patients suffering from lower back pain. It is believed in ancient times that non-surgical traction therapy solved a number of lumbar pain conditions. Today, with the advent of modern medical equipment, it is more than highly possible to relieve patients of all kinds of back pain in a non-surgical method. Physical therapy can help improve your posture and mobility; medication may help relieve pain, and surgery may be required for severe cases of sciatica.